"Landed home" covers a wide range, from a compact terrace house to a Good Class Bungalow on a plot the size of two tennis courts. URA sets different planning rules for each type, and those rules explain a lot about how big a house can be, how much garden you get and why prices differ so much. This guide sets the types side by side, using URA's current landed housing controls.
The main landed home types
URA defines a bungalow (detached house) as a detached landed house with its own land title. A semi-detached house is one half of a pair of two houses, each with its own land title, separated by a common party wall along one side. A terrace house shares walls on both sides (corner terraces share one), and URA splits terraces into two planning categories, Terrace-I and Terrace-II, with different minimum plot sizes.
| Type (URA category) | Minimum plot size | Minimum width | Maximum site coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Class Bungalow (in a GCB Area) | 1,400 sqm | 18.5 m (30 m deep) | 45% (35% sub-control) |
| Detached bungalow (other areas) | 400 sqm | 10 m | 50% (40% sub-control) |
| Semi-detached & corner Terrace-I | 200 sqm | 8 m | No control |
| Terrace-I (intermediate) | 150 sqm | 6 m | No control |
| Terrace-II (intermediate) | 80 sqm | 6 m | No control |
| Corner Terrace-II | 80 sqm | 8 m | No control |
For scale, 400 sqm is about 4,300 sq ft (our conversion). So a minimum GCB plot of 1,400 sqm (about 15,070 sq ft) is 3.5 times the smallest detached plot.
GCB vs non-GCB bungalow
A Good Class Bungalow is defined by location as well as size. URA lists 39 Good Class Bungalow Areas, including Holland Park, Holland Rise, Nassim Road, Dalvey Estate, Cluny Park and Ridout Park. In these areas only bungalow developments are allowed, and a new bungalow plot must be at least 1,400 sqm, 18.5 m wide and 30 m deep. Setbacks are also larger: 3 m from side and rear boundaries, against 2 m for a bungalow outside a GCB Area.
A bungalow outside the GCB Areas needs only 400 sqm and 10 m of width, and may be built in any designated landed housing area, including semi-detached or mixed landed housing areas. That is why detached houses in estates around Holland, Bukit Timah and Novena can sit on plots a fraction of a GCB's size yet still be fully detached with their own title.
How much can you build?
Since 11 May 2015 all landed housing follows URA's envelope control guidelines. Landed houses may not exceed a 2-storey or 3-storey height control, or the storey height shown for the estate in the Master Plan, whichever is lower. URA gives the overall limit as 12 m for a designated two-storey estate and 15.5 m for a three-storey estate. Landed houses outside designated landed housing areas and not guided by street block plans are subject to a 3-storey height control. Attics, mezzanines and basements are allowed within set limits, so the usable floor area can exceed what the number of storeys suggests.
The practical point: two bungalows with the same land size can have different potential built-up areas depending on the estate's storey limit, setbacks and site coverage. Always check the control for the specific street, including any conservation or street block plan, on URA SPACE before comparing prices per square foot.
Who can buy?
All of these are restricted residential property under the Residential Property Act. The Singapore Land Authority lists terrace houses, semi-detached houses, bungalows or detached houses and vacant residential land as properties a foreign person must seek approval to buy. A "foreign person" is anyone who is not a Singapore citizen, Singapore company, Singapore limited liability partnership or Singapore society. SLA says it assesses applications case by case and takes about 30 working days once it has all the documents. Factors include at least five years as a permanent resident and exceptional economic contribution. Strata landed houses in an approved condominium development are treated differently; our network's guide to strata landed housing explains that category.
Choosing between types
- Budget and land. A larger plot usually means a higher price but also more flexibility to rebuild or extend later. Compare price per square foot of land, not only of the building.
- Privacy and maintenance. Detached homes have setbacks on all sides; semi-detached and terrace homes share party walls, which lowers cost but limits light and layout.
- Location rules. Estate-level controls (storey limits, street block plans, conservation) matter as much as house type.
- Tenure. Freehold and leasehold landed plots price very differently, so confirm tenure at the start.
- Taxes. Stamp duties apply on top; see our guide to stamp duty on a landed home.
New detached homes in District 10
Few new detached houses reach the market in the Holland area. Aurum Land's Anagram Homes at Tan Boon Chong Avenue is two freehold detached bungalows in District 10; 1A has a 4,661 sq ft plot and a guide price of S$19.8M, and 1 is available by private enquiry only. The earlier Kheam Hock Road collection of eight landed homes in District 11 is fully sold. For recent price trends, see our look at Q3 2026 landed prices. WhatsApp us on +65 8866 9422 for floor plans and private viewings.
This article is for general information only and is not financial or investment advice. Planning controls and eligibility rules can change; confirm current requirements with URA and SLA before buying.
Sources
- URA, Prevailing Planning Controls for Landed Housing, updated 12 June 2026
- URA, Bungalows: Plot Size and Width, updated 7 June 2026
- URA, Bungalows: Locational Criteria (Good Class Bungalow Areas), updated 26 August 2026
- URA, Bungalows: Envelope Control Guidelines, updated 7 June 2026
- URA, Semi-Detached Houses
- Singapore Land Authority, Foreign ownership of property, updated 20 August 2025
